A journalist from Ohio who once went undercover at Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Club for a story, Gloria Steinem emerged in the ’70s as the aviator-shaded face — and de facto voice — of the women’s movement. Here, a front-line look at Steinem’s legacy. More…

How a small Italian press managed to turn works in translation into a form of social currency.

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Europa Editions’ books have a visual identity that’s as distinct as their literary sensibility.Credit Marko Metzinger

Recently, something improbable happened in the literary world: Europa Editions — a small, Italian-born publisher — became, of all things, a coveted intellectual brand. We don’t like to think a book’s cover matters too much, yet the decade-old press has somehow become as much of a name as its authors. Readers have taken to Instagramming its titles to broadcast their cultural verve and savoir faire, and to displaying their book while out at a restaurant, perched on the edge of a table for all to admire.

Even if you haven’t heard of Europa Editions, you’ve probably heard of some of its hits. There’s Muriel Barbery’s “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” (more than a million copies sold); Jane Gardam’s “Old Filth” (now in its 20th printing); and Alexander Maksik’s “You Deserve Nothing” (so far, the biggest title by an American). Like any good branded product, the books have an instantly recognizable visual stamp: stiff paper covers edged with white borders that frame color-drenched matte backgrounds. According to Europa’s Australian-born editor in chief, Michael Reynolds, “When you see them all together, they draw you in like a bowl of candy.” Read more…

As high fashion becomes an increasingly commercial business, a group of rebellious young designers has emerged, challenging the unwritten codes of design, from gender stereotypes to what’s even considered clothing. More…

The Dickensian era doesn’t instantly call to mind seduction, but this season is full of women who reveal the dangerous demimonde beneath a trussed-up 19th-century-inspired exterior. From Junya Watanabe’s voluptuous long skirts and “Wuthering Heights”-noir black riding jackets to Rodarte’s bejeweled high ruffled necks, the emphasis is on black, with lace and organza that simultaneously veil the body and reveal it, and cutaways and transparent panels that hint at mixed messages.

The original moment when such styles took a somber turn was in 1861, after the death of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s great love. For the last 40 years of her life, the monarch wore only black and expected everyone else to follow suit. A vogue emerged for gorily erotic storytelling tinged with mysticism. The image of the sexually experienced widow was regarded as a destabilizing factor, with her mourning frocks and jet jewelry subtly advertising the charms of the bereaved to potential second husbands. Darkness, then and now, becomes her.

Imagine the white-sand beaches and sandstone hills of Spain’s most famous island — but without the thudding electronica and all-night dance parties — and you’ll get its rustic, low-key neighbor, now coming into its own. More…

Andrew MontgomeryThe well-regarded garden designer Luciano Giubbilei plants spring flowering dame’s rocket among the tulips and euphorbia in his experimental plot at Great Dixter, the famed garden in East Sussex where he has been exploring a new approach to gardening.

In one of England’s greatest flower gardens, an Italian formalist learns to appreciate the subtleties of seasons. More…